


Cat's Paw

by sarcastic_fi



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Will Graham, Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Omega Will, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prostitution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-12 21:09:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3355352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcastic_fi/pseuds/sarcastic_fi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(TO BE HEAVILY EDITED) Will Graham is in a precarious situation. As an Omega working in the sex industry he is committing a social taboo as well as this being illegal, but the FBI want to use him when they discover the special interest that cult leader Garret Jacob Hobbs has in him. Will has a choice to make, allow the FBI to use him as their pawn or continue to allow Garret Jacob Hobbs to control him so he had stay with Abigail. He knows what he has to do, but will he be any safer with Hannibal Lecter watching over him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> apologies; I have no beta!  
> a note on the title; cat's paw is a person used or controlled by others.

Will had been sat in the achromatic oppressive interview room for almost an hour before anyone came inside. When they did arrive, it wasn't the intimidating burly FBI agent who had come barreling into his ugly little apartment, gun blazing and shouting orders. Instead the man looked more like a lawyer; soigne and professional looking with his fair hair styled expensively but low maintenance and a chiseled expressionless face. He came in, sat down opposite Will, and held a hand out for him to shake. Will accepted it gingerly.

"Good afternoon, Mr Graham, my name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter."

"I'm assuming you're not a physician?"

Dr. Lecter's lips pursed at the deduction. "Not anymore, now I fix people's minds."

"You aren't here to 'fix' my mind, you're here to explore it like a playground."

"I'm here to help."

Not to help Will, he knew from experience that had come to form his expectations of the world. "I don't like being psychoanalyzed," Will said, and that was all he would say on the subject. Silence lingered for long enough to make Will uncomfortable despite the fact he actually preferred it to conversation, so many things he could accidentally give away with a slip of the tongue, and so many secrets to protect. 

The lack of communication seemed to have no effect on the psychiatrist, who seemed as content to watch Will as he attempted to avoid eye contact as he would have been sat in his own home relaxing. Still, it was the Doctor who broke that silence.

“Girl, or a boy?” Lecter asked, his voice steady in the conviction he was correct.

Will froze. How has he guessed? Was it the scent of talcum powder that clung to his hands from frequent nappy changes? Was it the sickly sweet odor of warm milk and baby rice where Abigail had ‘shared’ her lunch with him? The calm gaze of the stranger gave nothing away.

“Can I go yet?” Will asked, deflecting. There were no hand cuffs, no Miranda rights has been read, however there was an agent stood outside the grey metal door and Will was sure someone else was stood behind the large mirror opposite him. He might not be officially under arrest but Will figured that was only because they wanted him to perceive them as a friendly force. He didn’t, though, and had a healthy amount of fear in his heart. These guys weren't the usual rough and ready cops, easily manipulated and appeased by a blow job or a show of reverence. 

“I’m afraid not, Will,” the man said. Will bristled at the informal address. “You’re in a lot of trouble here, and the only way you can help yourself is by talking to me.”

“You want to know if I like kids?” Will drawled insolently, accepting that he would have to play their game before he had any chance of getting out of this situation unscathed.

“I want to know about you.”

“No, you want to know about Garret Jacob Hobbs.”

“Have you met the man?”

“Heh,” Will expelled a huff of laughter that contained not a trace of amusement. “You know I have, or I wouldn’t be here.”

“You have engaged in criminal activity, Will, is it so difficult to believe that you would be of interest to law enforcement?”

“The cops are plenty interested in me,” Will assured him, stressing 'interested' to ensure the Doctor understood his double entendre. “But as far as I’m aware the FBI aren’t interested in small time prostitutes. A cult leader like Hobbs, though, well he’d be a particularly significant collar.”

“I can see that you are an intelligent and logical young man,” Dr Lecter said, “what reason could you have for being wrapped up in Hobbs' troubles?” His cold brown eyes flickered to the cuff of Will’s threadbare jacket. Will looked down, noting for the first time that baby sick had died on the material.

“What is it that you want from me? - and please, be explicit,” he demanded. He knew the situation was precocious, but he hadn't expected to be on the losing side of the conversation. Unfortunately for Will, it seemed to be a theme in his life of late. The stress of the situation strained his voice and he watched as Dr. Lecter perceived his reaction. It was his own fault, Will reflected, he should have just kept his mouth shut.

“Very well, the FBI wants your co-operation. Your insight into the cult activities and your connection to Garret Jacob Hobbs could be instrumental in dismantling their criminal operation.” 

“My insight?” Will chucked darkly to himself; if only they knew what he did, then they wouldn’t be so eager to learn more about the inner goings on in Hobbs’ head. 

The doctor’s eyes narrowed, as if a thought had just occurred to him. “Your age, you are not as young as you appear.”

“How old do you think I am?”

“I would guess… twenty-one, although someone less observant would see a teenager, as I suspect is your intention.”

Will smiled wryly. He counted on his alarmingly blue eyes, tousled brown curls and lean frame to aid the illusion about his age. Young meat sold better in his type of market. “I turn twenty-three next week.”

“Happy upcoming birthday.”

“I doubt it will be, but thank you.”

“Possibly not, you are, after all, old enough to be tried as an adult.”

“I haven’t been arrested yet,” Will whispered, as if it was a secret. He leaned back in his seat. 

“I believe ‘yet’ is the crucial word, is it not?”

Dr Lecter exchanged a cool look with the detainee, and Will returned the glance unblinking and blank, meeting his eyes for the first time but still determined to shield his thoughts and motivations from the authoritative Doctor. Abigail's life depended on it.

From the other side of the observation mirror, Agent Jack Crawford and Dr. Alana Bloom stood watching the interaction between the young prostitute and the erudite Dr Lecter. Jack turned to Alana, asking; “so, what is your impression of the boy?”

“He’s not what we would normally expect to see, considering his line of work, however he probably wouldn’t have survived for so long if he was. He’s… highly intelligent, keen senses, manipulative but also compassionate. It’s obvious he’s been caring for a baby and I highly doubt it’s his own. From the state of his body it doesn’t look like he uses drugs, he seems to be eating healthily… either he’s highly successful at his work or someone’s been looking after him.”

“Garret Jacob Hobbs?”

“Perhaps, although it doesn’t fit the profile that was originally drawn up. Making sure that the prostitute you keep on tap is well fed and healthy is a sign of caring, a characteristic which is found to be missing in the traditional psychopath.”

“Well, we already knew he was untraditional. The real question is; what is he if he’s not a psychopath?”

“You really think this man will be able to give you the answers you’re looking for?”

“I’m asking for your opinion, Dr. Bloom,” Jack said, not giving anything away.

She sighed. “I think he’s hiding something, but that’s hardly surprising considering his lifestyle. It may be just a desire to protect the mother of the baby.”

“Do you think the child is his?”

“If he’s the parent then he wouldn’t be as squirrelly about it,” she hypothesized. “Didn’t you search his apartment?”

Jack signed heavily; he's been hoping for more, something to give him a hold over the boy. “It’s a bedsit in the wrong part of town, and there was no evidence that a child had ever been there. The only thing we did find was a library book on weaning babies.”

“He obviously considers himself responsible for this child. Finding the baby could be the only way to secure his assistance.” 

“I’ve got Agent Lass on it now.”

“What are you going to do with him in the meantime?” She asked, gesturing to the man now sat silently waging a private war of willpower against Dr. Lecter in the interview room. At Jacks' expression she made her disapproval known, “you can't just keep him here! Prostitute or not, you haven't witnessed him committing a crime.”

“He's involved in this somehow, Alana, and I need more than what I've got now. Omegas are going missing and their families want answers.”

“Jack, you aren't going to get anything out of him like this and you know it.”

Jack sighed. He was tired, stressed and desperate, but Alana was right. As tempting as it was to keep the boy in based solely on his gut feeling he knew that wouldn't look good to the review board who would have to approve the evidence before a conviction. They needed to do this right. Besides, Dr. Lecter had had him alone for almost an hour now and they had nothing more than when they had started. Letting him go would be yield more results in the long run than keeping him in without the correct leverage. Jack leaned over and pressed the intercom. “You're free to go, Mr Graham. The FBI thanks you for your assistance and asks that you refrain from mentioning this little visit to anyone.” The 'or else' was left unsaid, Jack was adept at using his voice to convey his meaning.

Graham never broke eye contact with the good doctor. “I wouldn't dram of it,” he said dryly. He waited until the Doctor stood before elevating himself off of the hard metal chair and exiting the room. In the narrow hallway stood the agent who had been guarding the door and two other agents, both staring suspiciously at Will. He shrugged it off, more than used to the judgmental staring of others. On his way out no one tried to accost him or detain him, but it wasn't until the rain was drizzling down on his skin and the frigid night air was filling his lungs that he really felt free. How long could he last, living this way? He needed to take care of Abigail, but with the FBI breathing down his neck he knew that he didn't have enough time; hell, he hardly had any time at all.

*

“Care to share you opinion, Dr Lecter?” Jack asked three hours later. The team, consisting of FBI agents Jack Crawford and his protégé Miriam Lass, crime scene analysts Beverly Katz, Brian Zeller and Jimmy Price, and the two visiting psychiatrists Alana Bloom and Hannibal Lecter, met for a briefing on the Hobbs case.

"Will Graham is certainly a unique man," Hannibal began, and odd tone to his voice that drew their attention. "A prostitute at an age when most would have either succumbed too the vices of their lifestyle or moved on to another career, even if it was simply a different crime. He doesn't seem to possess the psychopathic qualities that most of Hobbs' associates do and yet makes the choice to consort with them. The solicitude he has shown for the infant seems to be his one true weakness."

"I agree," Alana interjected smoothly. 

"Dr. Bloom feels it is unlikely that the child is biologically his, do you agree Dr Lecter?"

"I am convinced that is the case," Hannibal said assertively.

"How can you be so sure?" Katz asked, genuinely curious. Beverly was driven and motivated but rarely ever rude.

"My olfactory is extremely sensitive, both a blessing and a curse. While I was confined with Graham I had the chance to truly appreciate the rarity of his scent."

"Are you saying...?"

Hannibal nodded and Jack gulped in a sharp breath. "A male Omega as a sex worker. It seems Mr Graham truly is a peddler of the unique and the taboo."

"Okay, so we've ruled out the possibility that the child is his because male Omegas are unable to impregnate others and there would be obvious physiological changes if he'd given birth recently, but it does mean we're back to square one," Katz summarized with a small sigh of defeat.

"Miriam, do you have any leads?"

"I've managed to discern that the baby is a white female infant between the ages of six and nine months. According to the neighbors William Graham has never brought her to his bedsit, which means she most likely resides somewhere else permanently, although it seems unlikely she had a mother. I'm looking into how to get more information about births and deaths of those residing inside Hobbs' compound. It seems to be our strongest lead."

*

Will was greeted by Randall Tier when he arrived back at the compound. Tier slammed his face into the wall of the gatehouse and took the opportunity to press his bony frame against Will's warm body as he held him there. "Where the hell have you been, you little whore?" 

"Cops," Will grunted, pained by the other man's violence. "Dragged me into the precinct to pump me." 

"Oh yeah? I thought that was your job?" Tier snarled, grinding his jutting hip bones into Will's ass with enough force to make the act frictional and uncomfortable. Will wasn't a fan of anyone's rough manhandling and out of all of them Tier was the worst. He seemed to revel in the animistic.

"Randall, set him loose," Hobbs' cool voice interrupted the display and Tier immediately backed away, brought to heel by his master. Will wasn't relieved though. The sight of Garret Jacob Hobbs sent ice through his veins as his heart pumped faster in the fear of pray when surrounded by a predator. 

"You're late. She's been crying for you," Hobbs advised him, and powerful shame cursed through Will. He nodded, his eyes flickered downwards and his body slumping submissively. He was hoping for a quick escape, but just as he stepped forward to go around Hobbs a hand reached out to touch him. His head was forced up so that Hobbs could look into Will's blue eyes, but he knew better than to meet his captor's in return. Garret Jacob Hobbs was a Beta who had always longed for the respect that Alphas automatically received in society, and as such Will was too far below him in the food chain, so to speak, to meet his eyes. Luckily Will was adverse to looking directly at anyone's eyes and so he had managed to avoid committing this offense. "You'll come to me afterwards," he commanded, affection in his voice even if it was devoid from the caress.

"Of course," Will agreed easily, ignoring the way his gut clenched and twisted at the idea of servicing Hobbs. As a prostitute Will had done all manner of unseemly things with all kinds of unseemly people, but there was something grotesque about Hobbs and Will knew all too well exactly what it was

"Go now," Hobbs released him, pushing him gently towards the staircase that lead to the nursery. Will stumbled at the abruptness of the gesture but quickly found his footing and hurried off in Abigail's direction.

He found her mewling softly as if she hadn't the energy for screams of hunger, Guilt stabbed at him and he quickly lifted her up and held her close to his body. Her mouth quivered with fresh anguish and he fetched one of the prepared bottles of formula from the custom fridge and heated it in the microwave while he sang softly to her. There was no need for Hobbs to deny his daughter food, it was sheer cruelty that was intended to hurt Will more than anyone else. He knew how Will felt about the angel faced baby with her curious blue eyes and rosy pink cheeks, and he loved to lord it over him. When the formula was appropriately warm Will tested it on his skin and sat back in the rocking chair. Abigail's mouth gaped open, awaiting the sustenance, and when Will fed her the teat she sucked eagerly on it, gulping down the warm milky liquid with a speed that was sure to have her sicking most of it up in a few minutes. He shushed her and rocked gently, all the while singing and rubbing her belly for comfort. Soon she slowed down, assured that her food wasn't going anywhere, as as the bottle emptied her eye lids drooped. 

"Tired from all that crying, hey little one?" Will asked softly. Her eyelids immediately flew open at the sound of his voice, before exhaustion brought them fluttering down again. He knew he should burp her, she'd only wake crying in pain later if he didn't, but it was just so hard to disturb her when she looked so beautifully at peace. Still, Will always tried to do what was best for Abigail and he lifted her onto his shoulder and patted gently until she let out a small belch. "That's my good girl," Will cooed as he stood up to put her down in the crib. "I wish I could stay longer but daddy needs me. You're okay now, you're okay. I'll be back when you wake up and we can play some games. I love you, Abigail," he kissed her soft head and switched the baby mobile on to sing her to sleep, slipping out of the room with a heavy heart.

Will found Garret in the antler room. It was an obscene display of his prowess as a hunter, with various mounted trophies, but worse than that was the knowledge that almost everything in the room had been made by Garret from the components of his victims. Hair to stuff the pillows, bones ground down to make glue, skin tanned to make leather and the meat cooked to satisfy Garret's baser desire for domination over life and death.

Will slipped into the room, waiting in the shadowy doorway until Garret acknowledged him and gesturing for Will to come forward. One of Garret's lackeys, a chemist called Eldon Stammets who had supplied Will's predecessor with enough drugs to overdose on, was present to Will had to show his 'due' respect. He prostrated himself by falling to his knees and crawling the length on the room until he reached Garret's side, pausing to nuzzle at the vile man's knee before being awarded with a pet to his head.

"Leave us," Garret told the voyeuristic sycophant, who scurried to comply with his boss' commands. "You were out for a long time."

"Got pulled in by the cops," Will said throatily.

Garret's eyes narrowed on his face. "They ask you anything?"

"Just for a blow," Will assured him. "There were two of them and they wanted to make me feel bad." He laid it on thick, a nice believable story and one that Will had experienced enough in the past to inject realistic emotion into his voice. Disgust paired with self pity and shame, all designed to trigger a specific response in Garret Jacob Hobbs. The thing that Garret had liked most about Will was that he was quick on the uptake, he knew how to follow orders and he had quickly adapted to predicting what Garret wanted without being asked. Garret had no idea that it was Will's unique way of thinking that allowed him to do this, or that it also allowed him the insight into Garret's mind to manipulate him. Will couldn't change what Garret was, or even hope to control him, but he could ensure his own survival while Garret was obsessed with him. 

"They had no idea what a gem they had in their clutches," Garret said softly. He liked to make Will think that he was the only one who recognized the beauty in what he was, an Omega, and often reminded him so. Sometimes, Will was afraid to admit, he even believed him. Will allowed his eyes to dampen and rubbed his face into the warmth of Garret's lap.

Garret smiled down at him, approvingly, and Will got to work. Garret's hand was tight in his hair the entire time, controlling the angle and speed of fellatio but Will had a few tricks up his sleeve and used them all to get the act over quickly. Eventually Garret pulled Will off, sweaty and panting, and Will swallowed down the bitter result of his work. Garret's eyes were colder now, after the act, and Will hoped that he had pleased him enough not to earn any extra attention. 

"You should return to Abigail for the rest of the night," Garret informed him. "I don't want her waking in a panic to find you missing. I'll send someone up with some food."

Will nodded, grateful to be released so easily. Still, he knew he needed to be careful, there was a warning in Garret's words and if he didn't heed it then he knew he could end up on the other side of the dinner menu.


	2. Chapter 2

Miriam Lass was a rookie FBI agent, appointed to Agent Crawford's team due to her determination to prove herself and go beyond the call of duty. Her scores had been perfect and her psychological evaluation had shown only an abnormally strong moral attitude and exceedingly high standards for herself. She wanted to go as far as her strength would take her and her weaknesses would not get in her way. Crawford said he admired that about her and shared her ambition. One day she could be the new him, he had told her, the highest praise, but she couldn't get there alone and she couldn't get there fast.

Still, her drive to be the very best was what had her up late at her desk on Sunday night reviewing the Hobbs case with new eyes. Lass was looking at hospital admissions, births, new-borns or deaths of females who had died of birth related problems, specifically six to nine months ago. They had determined that the baby was between those ages after Zeller had analyzed a scraping of baby spit-up from Mr Graham's clothing. In the sustenance they had found baby rice; it also fit with the book on weaning babies that had been found at Graham's place of residence, checked out three weeks ago. Using this information, Lass got lucky.

"Agent Crawford, I believe I have a lead," she presented him her findings after a three hour nap and a quick shower. It didn't do to show up to work looking like you'd pulled an all-nighter, especially if that was the truth. She wanted her hard work to show in results, not ware. The FBI had no use for someone who couldn't keep up with their pace.

Crawford looked impressed, and Lass wanted to keep that expression on his face, so she continued on. "Eight months ago a female Beta brought her new born daughter into hospital for a check up. The woman reported that the child bad been born at home and attended to by a family matter. She refused any medical examination of herself and insisted that the child, a daughter named Abigail, was not taken from her during the check up. Baby Abigail was found to be healthy and mother and baby were released without obtaining any documentation. The hospital bill was paid by cash on the day."

"It's not much."

"I have more. Three days later, a beta by the name of Louise Hobbs, renewed her subscription of birth control. When she went to collect the pills she also purchased sanitary products and diapers, all paid for by cash."

"Hobbs, as in Garret Jacob?"

"His legally married wife," she confirmed. "With you permission, I am going to obtain a warrant for the video footage at the hospital and the chemist so I can match her physical description."

"Have one of the agents in training do it, it'll be good experience and give you a chance to focus on more important work. Well done, Lass, you did good."

She smiled politely but inside her heart swelled with pride. "Yes sir." She turned to leave, but he called her name and stopped her. "Agent Crawford?"

Her superior looked unfathomably sad for a moment, and he was gentle when he asked, "you said she renewed her subscription; has it since been cancelled?"

Lass allowed her pity to show through her usual cool facade. "Yes, sir. Five months ago." Agent Crawford nodded in acknowledgement. They had both suspected that the baby's birth parent was dead, which would explain why Will Graham was caring for the infant, but it was still tough to put a name to a corpse and realize you were too late to save this one.

Crawford nodded and she was dismissed. Time to find a young impressionable novice to do her dirty work while she started in on building a comprehensive profile of Louise Hobbs. Their work was never done.

*

Will woke up with a start, disorientated and disturbed. Someone rapped at the door, impatient and loud enough for Will to fear they would wake Abigail from her sleep. She was a fitful child, easily roused by the smallest of noises or changes in her environment. Will theorized that the condition was due to her insecure life. Motherless and abandoned by her father who used her as a pawn in his mind games with Will. He was her only reliable caretaker and even he was always coming and going at strange times. 

"Who is it?" Will asked as he stood on the safe side of the door. This compound was full of creeps and monsters, and Will intended to keep Abigail safe from them all. 

"Only little old me," Abel Gideon assured him, and it was an assurance of sorts. Will despised Abel, he was a vain immoral man who's pathology was entirely psychotic. He had been the one to orphan Abigail, bringing Louise Hobbs' cadaver to Garret as a sacrificial offering. Will had only been new to the compound back then, but even he found Gideon's actions to be as reprehensible as Garret's own. An offering had been made, and Garret's reaction had been to honor Louise; honor all of her. Unbeknownst to Will, Louise was the base of the first food that Garret ever fed him.

Despite the loathing that Will carried in his heart for Gideon, he recognized that the man wasn't a threat to him. He was unlikely to rape him since he was exclusively interested in females, that was when he was interested at all, and while Will wouldn't go so far as to say he trusted the man in Abigail's presence, he did not expect any harm to come to her with Abel around. Garret may have seemed apathetic to his daughter's well being but Will had been on the receiving end of his anger too often not to notice a pattern. Garret would happily punish Will by denying Abigail comfort or food, but he made sure that Will's priority was focused on the infant as soon as he was done punishing him; he had no intention of letting the child die. Abigail was his heir and he longed for her to grow up so she could take her place next to him. From Garret's truest followers, Abigail was safe.

"It's only breakfast," Abel said mockingly. He was well aware of Will's own abhorrence of human flesh and enjoyed reminding him of the many meals Will had eaten in the compound which could of, and probably had, contained long pig.

"Just be quiet," Will begged as he opened the door wide enough to let Abel into the room.

Gideon swanned into the nursery, shoving a plate of sausage and eggs in Will's direction before settling over Abigail and watching her with an inscrutable expression on his features. A short fat finger reached out to trace the soft pinkness of Abigail's cheek and the baby wriggled away from it, crying out in her sleep as if sensing that there was a predator in the room. Will made no move towards her, staying as still as possible in Abel's presence. The man had been a doctor before he had killed his wife and children; he was an intelligent psychopath around whom Will had to be very careful not to give himself away.

"She's resembled her mother, doesn't she?" Abel mused out loud.

"Is there something you wanted?" Will asked, his voice straining with the effort it took to remain unmoved in Gideon's presence.

"Oh, I'm under strict orders to make sure you eat that," Abel admitted candidly.

Nausea swelled inside of Will. "What is it?" He asked, fearing it was the wrong question. Who was it this time? An unsuspecting Omega quick to trust a Beta father out alone with his infant daughter? Just another victim in a line that lengthened every few weeks. After all, there was only so much meat on them and Garret had gathered quite a following of hungry sinners.

Abel smiled. "You're in luck, young Will, it's merely venison from a hunting trip. I watched him fell the beast myself, honest."

Will was still suspicious but either way, truth or lie, he would have to eat the meal. Usually meal times were a commensal event, Will wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a very bad thing that Garret was letting him escape the dinner table. He started on the egg, hoping it would awaken the feeling of hunger that had disappeared as soon as he had smelled cooked meat. He hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, a piece of toast and a cup of burnt coffee from a cafe across the street from his bedsit. Half way through the meal Will made the mistake of looking up and meeting Abel Gideon's eyes. They were inexpressive and Will was reminded of the psychiatrist who had interviewed him while he'd been in FBI custody. He was surrounded by men with impassive masks who were thinking monstrous things. Could the 'good' Dr. Lecter be just another one of these creatures wearing a person suit?

Will shook away the thought. His time at the compound was warping his mind even more than mere exposure to everyday stimuli did. Will was very much aware of the fact he didn't have the same thought patterns as so called normal people, it made him afraid of his own mind. He had left school as soon as he could and run, leaving behind no one who missed him. He was just another statistic, another kid who slipped through the social work system. Abigail would not live that life. Will didn't care what kind of monsters he had to accommodate; they could fuck his body, burrow into his skull and cleave out their designs on his skin and he could bare it all in return for Abigail. She was precious.

Will swallowed the last bite, victorious and disgusted. Abel took the plate from him wordlessly, taking a moment to invade Will's personal space and meet his eyes. Will blinked, uncomfortable but rigid with Omegan fear. Will had never had a family until Abigail so he'd been unable to understand just what kind of level of self-sacrifice he was capable of. Every moment in Garret's presence forced him to re-evaluate his limits, and right now Abel was pushing the same boundary. "Are you really what you appear to be?" He breathed the question out, but to Will the words felt like a tantara falling on his ears.

He moistened his fear dry throat before he spoke but even then the words escaped his lips hoarse and cracked with emotion, "I'm whatever I need to be." 

Abel Gideon raised an eyebrow, understanding that Will had meant the remark as a throw-away line but in it he had revealed more of himself than silence would have hidden. "No, that's not it. There's something about you, William Graham, that has our carnivorous leader twisted up and fixated. I wonder, how long before he wants to honor all of you?"

Gideon raised a fleshy hand to caress Will's cheek and he flinched away like a startled rabbit running scared from a fox. The look Abel gave him was bone dry. "You're going to have to play the game better than this if you want to live long enough to hear the suckling call you 'Omma'." 

*

"Cheers," Alana Bloom clinked the elegant recepticle against Hannibal's as they toasted to the evening. 

"I sveikata," Hannibal echoed her in his mother tongue. 

"So, you want to talk about it?" She offered, leaning back and relaxing into the leather chaise-lounge that adorned Hannibal's opulent parlor. He had invited her to dinner in the aftermath of meeting the Omegan prostitute, his tongue wording the request for company with a strange halting intonation that she was unused to hearing from a mouth as well spoken and articulate as Hannibal's. Even if Alana hadn't studied human behavior for years, she would have certainly had picked up on the emotions that Hannibal was broadcasting.

"As a colleague or as a friend?"

"A friend, Hannibal, always as your friend," she hastened to assure him. He nodded, the movement so small as to be almost imperceptible. Alana wasn't sure if the gesture had been meant for her, an acknowledgement of her affirmation or if it had been wholly unconscious and a reflection of the inner workings of Hannibal's esoteric mind.

Hannibal took a measured sip of his especially brewed beer and set the glass down on the surface of a near by mahogany coffee table, atop a coaster to protect the valuable craftsmanship. With a deep breath he looked up and met her eyes. "I am afraid the encounter bothered me more than I anticipated, more than I can forgive myself for."

Her dark eyes softened with gentle understanding. "Hannibal, you aren't made of stone, none of us are. Occasionally we should expect to encounter our baser instincts flaring up in the presence of another, even if the situation is inappropriate. Alpha and Omega experience intense emotion in the presence of each other and no amount of arguing or self-flagellation will change that it comes down to nature. The mind is not always capable of overcoming our body."

"My mind should be."

"What is it that you want to rationalist out of existence? Attraction? Lust? Protectiveness?"

Hannibal's lips pursed as he hunted down the correct parlance to describe his reaction to the man he had interviewed only yesterday. Alana observed the distinct flare of Hannibal's nostrils and wondered if there was some intrinsic part of him searching for the same alluring scent he had captured in Will Graham's presence. In the end his answer satisfied none of her professional curiosity or her desire as his friend to have him expose his deepest thoughts to her. "It is none of those things, all of them too simplistic to express my state of being in the Omegas presence. Of course, it is also, in part, all of those things. It seems no matter now advanced we as the human race perceive ourselves, innate programming drives us all."

"Maybe you just need to get laid?" Alana suggested, changing the tone of the evening with just seven words and a tilt of her head. Hannibal's eyes raked up her neck, taking in the vulnerable length of ivory flesh. Alana flushed warmly and arousal shot through her body, waking up every nerve in her entity and reminding her exactly what it felt like to be on the receiving end of an Alphas attention. As an Alpha this kind of experimentation was considered socially acceptable but most Alphas were encouraged to grow out of it, Alpha on Alpha relationships in the adult words were not as tolerated as youthful indiscretions. Alana had no misconceptions about what they were doing, this was not the start of a beautiful relationship, only a continuance of a pleasant and satisfying arrangement that couldn't last forever. When the time came to say goodbye to their physical interactions she would not mourn the passing but embrace a new understanding of her own Alphaness and only then could she begin to appreciate Hannibal as something else, whatever shape that 'something' may manifest itself as.

Right now, in Hannibal's beautiful home, she was more than happy to allow herself the pleasure of being ravished by a trusted companion to banish the loneliness that connected them as much as it alienated them. When she woke it was to sunlight kissing her eyelids and the warmth of another human being comforting her. She had neither the answers she had sought or the confidence that she had provided whatever it had been that Hannibal needed from her last night but she took solace in the fact that she had been there for her friend when he needed her. She didn't want to see him get hurt, and even though she had tried to abate his unspoken concerns, it didn't negate her own. Hannibal had perfected his human suit, removed emotion and passion from his daily toils, and she had no wish for those repressed instincts to get him mixed up in the criminal activity of another. 

Alana slipped out of the bed, gathering clothes and personal effects before kissing Hannibal's restful face and whispering her goodbye. She left, and Hannibal opened his eyes. He had been awake the whole time, but had seen no benefit in revealing his state. It was cleaner this way, it always was. Alana would step outside into the early sun and take a breath of crisp morning air, letting the oxygen fill her body up and refresh her before she found her way behind the wheel and began her journey back to her condo near the campus she taught at regularly. Her mind would linger on their conversation last night even as her body relived the more erotic moments. Hannibal was content with how the night had gone; the sex had been physically satisfactory if not particularly memorable, but then that hadn't been Hannibal's purpose. Alana was meant to think that he had invited her around to rid himself of phantom lust evoked in him by the scent of an Omega, but his intent had been far less pure. The conversation had gone exactly as he had predicted, and he was pleased that she had picked up on his cues enough to infer that he had been unsettled and aroused by the surprised appearance of an Omega in his life. While it wasn't exactly the truth, it suited Hannibal for Alana to believe it so. 

Will Graham had unsettled him, though not in the context of sexual compatibility or gender response. Alana, Jack and the others had all looked at the man, seeing only his touselled locks and bright eyes in an attractive face. They had been fooled by the facade that Will had put so much effort into maintaining that they had ignored the most important element; his mind. It was clear to Hannibal that Will Graham was a superb specimen of humanity; a survivor and an asset. Hannibal wanted nothing less than to take that asset away from the undeserving Garret Jacob Hobbs and make him his own. He would hope that he could achieve this without force, but he knew it would take all of his skills and no small measure of risk to win Will over. Hannibal smiled to himself, anticipation was such a delight, especially when he was so sure of the reward.


End file.
